The Daleks advanced on Rose, Mickey and Rajesh, all chanting; "Exterminate!"
"Daleks!" Rose shouted, and the Daleks fell silent, taken aback. "You're called Daleks." Rose continued, walking towards them and taking her lab coat off, "I know ya name. Think about it: how can I know that? A human... who knows about the Daleks and the Time War. If ya wanna know how, then keep us alive. Me and my friends."
"Yeah, Daleks." Mickey added, "Time War, me too."
"Yeah, and me." Rajesh finished, though he'd never heard of any of those things, but decided to humour the others since they seemed to know about them.
The black Dalek considered them for a moment. "You will be necessary." it told them, and turned to one of the bronze Dalek, "Report: what is the status of the Genesis Ark?"
"Status: hibernation." the bronze Dalek replied.
"Commence awakening." the black Dalek ordered.
"The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else." another of the bronze Daleks stated, and all four of them turned to a sarcophagus-shape object that had been inside the sphere with them. The Daleks clamped their plungers on the object.
"But, the Daleks...Artist said they were all dead." Mickey said quietly to Rose.
"Never mind that, what the hell is a Genesis Ark?" Rose wandered, having a gut feeling that the answer couldn't be good news.
———————————————————————————
"What's down there?" Jackie asked the Time Lords, "She was in that room with the sphere, What's happened to Rose?"
"We don't know." the Doctor replied grimly, leaning against a wall.
Jackie began to sob, so the Artist put a comforting arm around her. "We'll find her, Jackie." she encouraged, "We brought you both here, we'll get you out of this, both of you. I promise."
"And Artist always keeps her promises." the Doctor added sincerely.
The Cyber-Leader approached Yvonne, who was sat at her desk. "You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender." it ordered.
"Oh, do some research." Yvonne retorted, "We haven't got a central world authority."
"You have now." the Cyber-Leader said simply, "I will speak on all global wavelengths." It turned to one of the other Cybermen, which activated a camera on it's arm. While the Cybermen were occupied, the Doctor slipped his 3D specs on and looked at the Cybermen closely. "This broadcast is for human kind." the Cyber-Leader announced, "Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us."
———————————————————————————
Of course, humanity wasn't just going to lie down and let the Cybermen take over without a fight. Soon, the Central London streets became a battle ground as U.N.I.T and the British Army tried bravely to fend the metal monsters off. Those on the top floor of Torchwood Tower had a panoramic view of the mayhem down below. "I ordered surrender." the Cyber-Leader observed.
"They're not taking instructions!" the Doctor retorted angrily, "Don't ya understand?! You're on every street, you're in their homes, you've got their children. Of course they're gonna fight!"
"Yeah, humans pride themselves on their emotions and individuality." the Artist added with spirt, "They'd rather die than become emotionless, soulless tin cans like you!"
———————————————————————————
The black Dalek approached the Humans. "Which of you is least important?" it demanded.
"Wos' that supposed to mean?" Rose frowned.
"Which of you is least important?"
"No, we don't work like that. None of us." Rose said defiantly.
"Designate the least important!" the black Dalek demanded impatiently.
"This is my responsibility." Rajesh said, stepping forward.
"No, don't!" Rose warned him, knowing only too well what the Daleks were capable of.
But Rajesh didn't listen. "I er, I represent the Torchwood Institute." he addressed the Daleks, "Anything you need, you... come through me. Leave these two alone."
"You will kneel." the black Dalek ordered.
"What for?"
"Kneel!" the black Dalek demanded, so Rajesh complied and the surrounding Daleks directed their eye stalks at him. "The Daleks need information about current Earth history."
"Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence." Rajesh said, "But nothing that will compromise homeland security..."
"Speech is not necessary." the black Dalek interrupted, "We will extract brain waves." And it and two of the bronze Daleks advanced on Rajesh, positioning their plungers around his head.
"No, don't!" Rajesh protested as the plungers came closer and closer, "I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!"
But of course the Daleks didn't listen. The plungers completely enveloped his head and he screamed in agony. Mickey ran forward to intervene but Rose stopped him, knowing it was already too late. She then wisely turned away, remembering how the Dalek in Van Statten's museum had crushed Simmons' skull with it's plunger.
———————————————————————————
In the lever room, the Cybermen had become aware that there was something else present. "Scans detect unknown technology within sphere chamber." a Cyberman reported.
"Cybermen will investigate." the Cyber-Leader replied. "Units 10.65 and 10.66 will investigate sphere chamber." it ordered into it's comms.
"We obey." a Cyberman replied over the comm.
The Time Lords shared a look as they overheard this exchange. Neither of them had any idea what was down there, but they both had a very bad feeling that whatever it was would mean more trouble.
———————————————————————————
The Daleks withdrew their plungers from Rajesh's head, revealing that his flesh had been burned away to leave just a charred skull. "His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth." the black Dalek noted, "Inflected by the superstition of ghosts."
"You didn't need to kill him!" Rose glared, outraged at Rajesh's murder.
"Neither did we need him alive." a bronze Dalek retorted.
"Dalek Thay, investigate outside." the black Dalek ordered the third bronze Dalek.
"I obey." it responded and glided out of the room.
Rose was surprised. The Doctor and the Artist had told her that Daleks had no names, yet these ones clearly did.
———————————————————————————
"Units open visual link." the Cyber-Leader ordered, and Yvonne's laptop showed a video feed from the two Cybermen who had been sent to investigate the sphere chamber.
"Visual contact established." one of the Cybermen announced.
———————————————————————————
"Establish visual contact." the black Dalek ordered, "Lower communications barrier."
A holographic projection appeared in the spot where the sphere had previously been, showing Dalek Thay's point of view as it met with the two Cybermen.
———————————————————————————
The Doctor and the Artist both went as white as sheets and grabbed each other's hands as Dalek Thay came into view on Yvonne's laptop. Just when they thought this day couldn't get any worse, then their arch-nemesis had shown up.
"Identify yourselves." Dalek Thay demanded to the Cybermen.
"You will identify first." a Cyberman answered back.
"State your identity!"
"You will identify first."
"Identify!" Dalek Thay screeched.
————————————————————————————
"It's like Stephen Hawking meets the Talking Clock." Mickey commented to Rose, trying to lighten the mood, but Rose was too worried to acknowledge his funny comment.
"... illogical, you will modify." one of the Cybermen said over the video feed.
"Daleks do not take orders!" Dalek Thay retorted.
"You have identified as Daleks." a Cyberman stated.
"Outline resembles the inferior species know as 'Cybermen'." the black Dalek observed.
————————————————————————————
"Rose said about the Daleks, she was terrified of them." Jackie said quietly to the Time Lords.
"Who isn't?" the Artist shivered.
"What've they done to her?" Jackie asked anxiously, "Is she dead?"
The Doctor turned to her. "Phone." he said through gritted teeth, "Phone!" Jackie surreptitiously passed him her phone and he dialled Rose's number, then anxiously held the phone to his ear. "She's answered, she's alive." he sighed in relief, "Why haven't they killed her?"
"Well, don't complain!" Jackie huffed.
"Daleks don't normally leave people alive, Jackie." the Artist explained, "Unless they need them for something."
"We must protect the Genesis Ark." they heard one of the bronze Daleks say over the phone.
"Genesis Ark?" the Doctor frowned. He looked to the Artist, who slipped her sunglasses on and looked at the Cybermen then at Dalek Thay on the laptop.
"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant." one of the Cyberman in the corridor said.
"Daleks have no concept of elegance." Dalek Thay retorted.
"That is obvious." the Cyberman replied, "But consider, our technology is compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks, together we could upgrade the universe."
"You propose an alliance?" Dalek Thay questioned, sounding incredulous at such an idea.
"That is correct."
"Request denied."
The two Cybermen immediately thrusted their fist out, ready to shoot. "Hostile elements will be deleted." one stated, and they opened fire on Dalek Thay, but their shots were just harmlessly absorbed by it's shields.
"Exterminate!" Dalek Thay yelled and returned fire, making short work of the two Cybermen.
"Open visual link." the Cyber-Leader ordered, and the laptop changed to a view of the sphere chamber. "Daleks, be warned: you have declared war on the Cybermen."
"This is not war, this is pest control!" the black Dalek retorted.
"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"
"Four."
"You would destroy the Cybermen with FOUR Daleks?!" the Cyber-Leader asked incredulously.
"We would destroy the Cybermen with ONE Dalek." the black Dalek answered sassily, "You are superior in only one respect."
"What is that?"
"You are better at dying!" the black Dalek retorted, "Raise communications barrier." And the screen went to static.
"Lost her." the Doctor groaned, switching the phone off.
————————————————————————————
"Wait!" one of the bronze Daleks said, something having caught it's eyestalk, "Rewind image by ten rels." The screen rewound on an image of the Cyber-Leader. "Identify grid seven gamma frame." The screen zoomed in to show the Doctor and the Artist both walking behind the Cyber-Leader. "This male and female register as enemies."
Rose beamed at the sight of her friends. "The female's heartbeat has increased." the black Dalek observed.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Mickey smirked.
"Identify them." the black Dalek demanded.
"Alright then... if ya really wanna know... that man's the Doctor." Rose said smugly, and the Daleks rolled back sharply in alarm. "And that woman's the Artist." Rose continued, "Five million Cybermen, easy. Two Time Lords? Now ya scared!" she smirked.
————————————————————————————
"Quarantine the sphere chamber." the Cyber-Leader ordered its subordinates, "Start emergency upgrading. Start with these personnel."
The Cybermen began to shepherd the humans out of the room. "No, you can't do this!" Yvonne protested, "We surrendered! We surrendered!"
"Keep these two." the Cyber-Leader continued, gesturing to the Time Lord,. "Their increased adrenaline suggests they have vital Dalek information."
"Stop them!" Jackie pleaded as the Cybermen dragged her away, "Artist, you promised me!"
"Leave her alone!" the Artist demanded to the Cybermen, "We won't cooperate unless you let her go!"
But of course, it fell on deaf metal ears. "Jackie, don't fight them!" the Doctor advised as Jackie was dragged out of sight, "We'll think of something!"
————————————————————————————
Dalek Thay returned to the sphere chamber. "Cyber threat irrelevant." it stated, "Concentrate on the Genesis Ark."
All four Daleks turned back to the Genesis Ark and pressed the plungers to it's side. "Why're we being kept alive?" Mickey wandered.
Rose thought for a moment. "They might need me." she said.
"What? What is it?" Mickey asked her, but Rose didn't answer, she just stared the Daleks, thinking about what they could need her for.
————————————————————————————
The Cybermen had taken Yvonne and Jackie down to the curtained-off area where they'd been hiding. The place was full of the sounds of people screaming and drills whirring away, while sparks flew everywhere. "What happens in there?" Jackie asked fearfully, "Wos' upgrading mean? What do they do?"
"I think..." Yvonne began, feeling sick, "I think they remove the brain... sorry, um... I think they remove the brain and they put it in a suit of armour. That's what these things are. They're us."
"Next." a Cyberman ordered, and Yvonne was dragged away.
"This is your fault!" Jackie shouted after her, "You and your Torchwood. You've killed us all!"
"I did my duty for Queen and Country." Yvonne shouted tearfully, wrenching her arm away from the Cyberman's grip and facing the area where people were being upgraded, steeling herself to go in. "I did my duty." she muttered to herself, "I did my duty. Oh, god. I did my duty." And she walked in.
Jackie winced at the sound of Yvonne's screams and the sparks flying from behind the curtains.
————————————————————————————
In the lever room, the Artist was sat in silence on the window sill, looking down at the mayhem below. The Doctor stood next to her, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. As he looked down at the battles taking place on the ground below, he realised that this was all his and Rose's fault. Their blasé and flippant behaviour during the werewolf incident was what had led to Queen Victoria establishing Torchwood in the first place, and their reckless meddling with the breach had allowed the Daleks and Cybermen to come through. He then thought about Harriet Jones' words after she'd ordered the destruction of the Sycorax. He realised now that she was right; Earth did need to defend itself when he wasn't around. He also realised that if Harriet had still been in power, she would've understood the dangers of the ghosts and could've put a stop to Torchwood's reckless meddling. But alas, he hadn't listened and engineered the downfall of her government. And now the whole Earth was paying the price for his arrogance.
The Doctor was pulled from his thoughts by the Cyber-Leader stomping over. "You will impart information about the Daleks." it demanded.
"You want advice?" the Doctor replied coldly, "I'll give ya my advice. We've got a machine downstairs. She's called a TARDIS, and... you and us, we can get to the TARDIS and fly away. Go to the universe and escape. Because there's nothing else we can do." He paused for a moment in thought. "For the first time in my life, nothing. In a few hours time, this planet'll be a ball of flame. All we can do is run away and watch it burn." he finished gravely.
The Cyber-Leader turned to the Artist. "You are proof." it stated.
"Of what?" she grunted.
"That emotions destroy you."
"Yeah, I suppose I am." the Artist sighed. Then, she and the Doctor both felt a disturbance in the space time continuum.
"Mind you, I quite like hope." the Doctor said brightly, "Hope's a good emotion. And here it comes."
The disturbance grew stronger, and then a group of people in black combat gear appeared out of thin air, all carrying huge guns. One of them shouted orders and they opened fire on the Cybermen, destroying them with ease. The Time Lords came out of the office and approached the newcomers. The leader turned to them and spoke in a familiar voice; "Doctor, Artist, good to see ya both again." He then removed his visor to reveal that he was Jake Simmonds from the parallel Earth.
"Jake?!" the Time Lords said together in disbelief.
"The Cybermen came through from one world to another, and so did we." Jake told them proudly, not noticing that the Time Lords looked more concerned than pleased.
————————————————————————————
A Cyberman dragged Jackie along to be converted when it suddenly stopped and turned to one of its fellows. "Cyber-Leader One has been terminated." it stated.
"Explain, download shared files." the second Cyberman replied, "I will be upgraded to Cyber-Leader."
With the Cybermen otherwise occupied, Jackie took the opportunity to escape. She snuck away and dashed down a back stairwell as fast as she could.
————————————————————————————
"Defend this room." Jake ordered his troops, "Chrissie, monitor communications." While Jake was giving orders, the Doctor slipped his 3D specs on and looked at the group. "Kill one Cyber-Leader and they just download into another." Jake continued as the Doctor removed his specs. "Move!" Jake finished, and the group rushed off to do as they were told, leaving Jake and the Time Lords alone.
"Ya can't just... just... just hop from one world to another." the Doctor frowned, "You can't."
"We just did. With these." Jake replied, tossing both Time Lords a pair of white circular devices with large yellow buttons in the centre, looking like metal fried eggs. Jake was wearing another one around his neck.
"But that's impossible. You can't have this sort of technology."
"We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it." Jake said proudly, "D'ya wanna come and see?" He reached for the device around his neck.
"No!" the Doctor protested, but it was too late. Jake pressed the button and the trio disappeared.
————————————————————————————
Jake and the Time Lords reappeared in the parallel Earth's version of the Torchwood lever room. This version of the room was abandoned and in a state of disarray. "Parallel Earth, parallel Torchwood." Jake remarked, "Except we found out what the institute was doing, and the People's Republic took control."
"Fascinating as that is, Jake, we've gotta get back." the Artist told him urgently, "Rose and her mother are in danger."
"That'd be Jackie." a familiar voice said, and the Time Lords turned to see Pete Tyler stride into the room. "My wife in a parallel universe." he remarked, "And as for you two, Doctor, Artist, at least this time I know who you both are."
"Right, yes, fine, hooray." the Doctor said, running over to him, "But we've gotta get back. Right now!"
"No, ya not in charge here." Pete answered back in a maddeningly calm voice, "This is our world, not yours. And you're gonna listen for once."
The Doctor looked at him darkly, falling silent.
————————————————————————————
Whilst the Daleks were occupied with the Genesis Ark, Mickey showed Rose his own dimension jump device. "I could transport outta here." he said, "But it only carries one, and I'm not leaving you."
"You'd follow me anywhere." Rose remarked, "What did I do to ya all those years ago?"
"Guess I'm just stupid." Mickey smirked.
"Ya the bravest man I've ever met." Rose replied, squeezing his hand. Over the six months since he'd left to stay in the parallel universe, she'd come to realise just how much of a great man Mickey really was.
"What about the Doctor?"
"Oh, alright. Bravest human." Rose said, and they shared a smile.
"Well I can't think what the Daleks want with me." Mickey frowned, "I'm nothing to them."
"You could be..." Rose said thoughtfully, looking at the Daleks, "Whatever's inside that Ark is waking up, and I've seen this happen before." She cast her mind back to her encounter with the Dalek in Van Statten's museum. "The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying, but I touched it. The moment I did that... I brought it back to life. The Doctor said... when ya travel in time, in the TARDIS, you soak up all this... um... background radiation. It's harmless, it's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."
"I love it when you talk technical." Mickey smirked. He'd learned a fair few things himself in the parallel universe.
"Shut up." Rose smiled back, then became serious again; "If the Daleks have got something inside that thing that needs waking up..."
"They need you." Mickey nodded.
"You've travelled in time." Rose reminded him, "Either one of us will do."
"But why would would they build something they can't open themselves?"
"The technology is stolen." the black Dalek interjected suddenly, "The Ark is not of Dalek design."
"Then who built it?" Rose questioned.
"The Time Lords." the black Dalek answered as it and the other Daleks shuffled around the Ark, "This is all that survives of their home world."
"What's inside?" Rose asked.
"The future." the black Dalek answered cryptically.
Rose stared at the Ark and the surrounding Daleks with fearful apprehension.
————————————————————————————
The Doctor was pressed up against the wall in the parallel Torchwood, studying the breach carefully while the Artist stood next to Pete, who was explaining things; "When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen. So we sealed 'em inside the factories."
"Except people argued." Jake added, "Said they were living, said we should help them."
"And the debate went on." Pete continued, "But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished."
"When did all that happen?" the Artist asked.
"Three years ago." Pete replied.
The Time Lords considered all this, then they began to stroll across the room, Pete beside them. "It's taken 'em three years to cross the Void." the Doctor mused, "But we can pop to and fro in a second. Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once."
"Yeah, Mickey said you'd rattle off that sorta stuff." Pete remarked.
"Where is Mickey, anyway?" the Artist asked.
"He went ahead first." Pete replied, "Any chance to go and find Miss Rose Tyler."
"She's technically your daughter." the Artist told him, "Did Mickey explain?"
"She's not mine." Pete insisted, "She's the child of a dead man." They reached the window and looked out at the London cityscape below. It was pretty much business as usual, with cars, buses and lorries driving through the streets, pedestrians going about their day-to-day lives and a couple of airships overflying the city, all a far cry from the warzone the London in the Time Lords' universe currently was. "Look at it." Pete commented, "A world at peace. They're calling it 'The Golden Age.'"
"Who's the President now?" the Doctor asked.
"A woman called Harriet Jones." Pete replied.
"Good choice." the Artist nodded, "You just need to keep an eye on her sometimes, though."
"But it's a lie." Pete said seriously, "Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The ice caps are melting. They're saying all this is gonna be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?"
"No." the Doctor confirmed.
"It's the breach." Pete nodded.
"We've been trying to tell ya, travel between parallel worlds is impossible." an irked Doctor said, "Then the Daleks break down the walls with the sphere..."
"Daleks?" Pete raised a brow.
"Then the Cybermen travelled across." the Doctor continued, "Then you lot. Those disc, every time you jump from reality to another, ya rip a hole in the universe! This planet is starting to boil! Keep going and both worlds will fall into the Void!"
"But you can stop it, the famous Doctor?" Pete asked, "You can seal the breach?"
"Yeah, he can." the Artist said, "But that'd leave five million Cybermen on our Earth."
"That's your problem." Pete retorted, "I'm protecting this world, and this world only."
The Doctor considered Pete for a moment. "Hm... Pete Tyler... we knew you when you were dead. Now here ya are, fighting the fight... alone." He stepped closer to Pete. "There is a chance... back on our world... Jackie Tyler might still be alive."
"My wife died." Pete stated.
"Her husband died. Good match."
"There's important things at stake." Pete said firmly. "Doctor, Artist... help us." he asked beseechingly.
The Doctor backed away. "What? Close the breach? Stop the Cybermen? Defeat the Daleks? D'ya believe we can do that?" he asked.
"Yes." Pete said confidently, "Mickey said both of ya have done all sorts of incredible things."
"Maybe that's all I need." the Doctor grinned.
"Me too." the Artist said, "Let's get cracking."
"Allons-y!" the Doctor said cheerfully.
————————————————————————————
The Time Lords, Jake and Pete reappeared in the lever room of the Time Lords' Torchwood. "First things first, I've got an urgent call to make." the Artist said, rushing to the phone on Yvonne's desk. She dialled Jackie's number and a moment later, Jackie answered.
"Help me!" she panted frantically, "Oh, my god, help me!"
"Jackie! Thank god you're alive." the Artist breathed in relief, "Listen..."
"They tried to download me but I ran away!" Jackie screeched hysterically.
"Well done, Jackie. Listen, where are you?"
"I don't know! Staircase."
"Is there any sort of sign to identify it?"
"Yes, a fire extinguisher! Oh, wait a minute, it says 'N3'."
"Ah, that must mean north corner, staircase three." the Artist noted, "Keep low, Jackie. We're gonna get you outta this. Good luck!" She put the phone down and looked up to the Doctor and Pete, who were standing in the doorway.
"Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler." the Doctor said to Pete.
"She's not my wife." Pete insisted.
"We were at the wedding." the Doctor smirked, "You got her name wrong." He went over to Jake and took his gun off him. "Now then, Jakey-boy, if I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on Dalekanium."
"What's Dalekanium?" Jake asked.
"The skin of a Dalek." the Doctor replied darkly.
————————————————————————————
Presently, both Time Lords were standing by the corner in one of the corridors, with the Doctor waving a sheet of white A4 paper on a stick as a makeshift flag. He poked his head round the corner, where three Cybermen were standing vigil. "Sorry." he called, attracting the Cybermen's attention, "No white flag. Only had a sheet of A4. Same difference."
The Cybermen raised their fists at the Time Lords as they came out of cover. "Do you surrender?" a Cyberman asked.
"Yes, we surrender." the Artist replied, "We're at your mercy, Cybermen."
————————————————————————————
"Final stage of awakening." a bronze Dalek announced as they backed away from the Genesis Ark.
The black Dalek turned to Rose. "Your handprint will open the Ark."
"Well tough, cos' I'm not doing it." Rose retorted.
"Obey or the male will die!" the black Dalek demanded.
"I can't let 'em." Rose conceded and moved towards the Ark.
"Rose, don't!" Mickey protested.
"Place your hand upon the casket." the black Dalek ordered Rose.
"Alright!" she huffed, and turned to the Ark. "Ya only gonna kill us anyway, so what the hell?" Playing for time, she turned back to the black Dalek, going to stand right in front of it. "If you um.. escaped the Time War... don't ya wanna know what happened?"
"Place your hand on the..." the black Dalek began impatiently, but Rose cut it off.
"What happened to the Emperor?"
That pipped the black Dalek's interest. "The Emperor survived?"
"Till he met me!" Rose smirked, "Cos' if these are gonna be my last words, then you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor, and I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. D'ya get that? The God of all Daleks... and I destroyed him!" She gave the black Dalek a gloating smile and laughed arrogantly.
"You will be exterminated!" the black Dalek roared furiously.
"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute." a familiar voice called, and everyone turned to see the Doctor and the Artist standing hand-in-hand in the doorway, the Doctor wearing his 3D specs.
"Alert, alert! You are the Time Lords!" the black Dalek cried.
"Sensors report they are unarmed." Dalek Thay said.
"That's us, always." the Doctor said lightly as he and the Artist sauntered into the room.
"Then you are powerless." the black Dalek mocked.
"Not us, never." the Doctor said simply, taking his specs off with flourish.
"You both alright?" the Artist asked the humans.
"Oh, the same old, ya know." Rose smiled.
"Good to see ya again, Mickey." the Artist turned to him.
"You too, Arty." Mickey replied and they shared a friendly hug, then Mickey turned to the Doctor; "And it's nice to see you too, boss." And both males bumped fists.
"Social interaction will cease!" one of the bronze Daleks demanded.
"How did you both survive the Time War?" the black Dalek questioned.
"By fighting. On the front line." the Doctor replied grimly, "I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that. But you lot ran away!"
"We had to survive." the black Dalek retorted.
"The last four Daleks in existence." the Doctor observed, "So what's so special about you?"
"They've got names." Rose told him, "And Daleks don't have names, do they? But one of 'em said they were..."
"I am Dalek Thay." Dalek Thay introduced.
"Dalek Sec." the black Dalek added.
"Dalek Jast." the second bronze Dalek chimed in.
"Dalek Caan." the third bronze Dalek finished.
The Artist stiffened. "The Cult of Skaro. I should've known it'd be you." she said darkly
"Who're they?" Rose asked.
"A secret order." the Doctor explained, circling the Daleks in an almost predatory way, "Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names."
"And all to find new ways of killing and causing suffering to millions." the Artist spat, her eyes blazing with pure hatred, "I've been on the receiving end of one of their creations." The Doctor took her in his arms to try and comfort her. He knew what she was referring to.
On the last day of the Time War, the Artist had been part of a recon team that had been sent out to the Galifreyean Badlands to investigate reports of a Dalek presence there. It turned out to be a trap designed by the Daleks to lure Time Lords there so that a new weapon could be tested on them, a weapon that had been designed by the Cult of Skaro. The weapon had unleashed a burst of Z-neutrino energy that had killed most of the recon team instantly. The Artist was one of the few that had managed to escape the worst of the energy blast, but the damage had been done. And that was how the Doctor had first met her; lying mortally injured in an old rundown barn. That was what caused her to regenerate into her current incarnation, but even after regenerating the energy had left lasting impacts on her mind and body, leaving her with a bittersweet ability to remember things even when others couldn't and devastatingly unable to conceive children anymore, all because of the Cult of Skaro.
"Bu that thing, they said it was yours." Mickey said, gesturing to the Ark, "I mean, Time Lords, they build it. What does it do?"
"I dunno. Never seen it before." the Doctor replied.
"Me neither." the Artist added, still glaring furiously at the Daleks.
"But it's... Time Lord." Rose pointed out.
"Both sides had secrets." the Doctor replied, and turned to the Daleks; "What is it? What've you done?"
"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy." Dalek Sec answered cryptically.
"What does that mean?" the Doctor frowned, "What sort of Time Lord science? What d'ya mean?"
"They said one touch from a time traveller will wake it up." Rose said.
"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch." the Doctor remarked, going right to Dalek Sec's eyestalk, "Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything... ever. From birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage." He lowered his voice into a taunting whisper. "Completely alone. And that explains your voice. No wonder you scream."
And as if to prove his point, Dalek Sec did just that; "The Doctor and the Time Lady will open the Ark!"
"Get stuffed!" the Artist snapped, "After what you lot did to to me, there is no way in hell that I would ever help you!"
"You have no way of resisting." Dalek Sec stated.
"Yeah, well, think again, because I've got this." the Artist retorted, taking out her sonic screwdriver.
"A sonic probe?"
"That's screwdriver." the Doctor corrected, taking out his own sonic too.
"They are harmless." Dalek Sec said scornfully.
"Oh, yes. Harmless is just the word." the Doctor said lightly, "That's why we like 'em. Don't kill, don't wound, don't maim. But I'll tell ya what they can do, they are very good at opening doors." And with that, he and the Artist activated their sonics, trigging charges that they'd placed on the doors to the sphere chamber.
The charges detonated, blowing the doors open and Jake and some of his troops burst in, accompanied by some Cybermen, all firing their weapons at the Daleks. "Delete! Delete! Delete!" the Cybermen chanted.
One shot had struck Dalek Caan. "Alert!" it cried, "Casing impact! Casing impact!"
The Doctor and Rose had flung themselves to the ground trying to avoid the cross fire. "Rose, get out!" the Doctor urged. Rose made towards the door, but stumbled.
"Firepower insufficient!" Dalek Sec cried, "Firepower insufficient!"
Rose was helped to her feet by Pete. "Dad?" she stared in disbelief.
"Come on." Pete urged, and ushered her out of the room while Mickey retrieved his gun and had a go at the battle himself.
"Daleks will be deleted." a Cyberman announced, "Delete! Delete!"
The Doctor and the Artist both scrambled to the door. "Mickey, come on!" the Artist urged, seeing that Mickey was still in the middle of the havoc.
"Adapt to weaponry." Dalek Thay ordered.
"Firepower restored!" Dalek Sec announced, and fired at a Cyberman, destroying it.
Jake managed to get to safety, but Mickey was knocked off his feet by a falling Cyberman. "COME ON!" Rose shrieked at him. Mickey got to his feet, but in the process, he accidentally put his hand on the Genesis Ark, leaving a red hot handprint on it. He dashed for the door.
"Cybermen primary target." Dalek Sec continued to give orders.
Mickey looked at his hand, wincing in pain, while the last of Jake's troops left the sphere chamber, leaving just the Daleks and Cybermen inside. The Doctor quickly sealed the door with his sonic. "Jake, check the stairwell." he ordered, "The rest of you, come on!" And he led the way down the corridor.
———————————————————————————
Inside the sphere chamber, the Daleks finished off the last of the Cybermen. Steam poured from gaps in the Genesis Ark. "Cybermen have been exterminated." Dalek Thay gloated, "Daleks are supreme."
"The Genesis Ark is primed." Dalek Jast reported.
"The Ark needs area of 20 square miles. Move!" Dalek Sec ordered.
The Ark began to glide smoothly across the floor, the Daleks escorting it. "Genesis Ark mobile." Dalek Jast announced.
———————————————————————————
Mickey, Rose, Pete and the Time Lords raced along a corridor. "I just fell, I didn't meant it!" Mickey said, referring to the Ark.
"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force." the Doctor reassured him, "To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour, now run!"
———————————————————————————
Jackie hurried downstairs. She came to an abrupt halt as she saw Cybermen coming up the other way. She ran back up to the floor she'd just passed and exited the stairwell. She started down a corridor, only to run into two more Cybermen. "You will be upgraded." one stated.
"No, but you can't! Please...!" Jackie whimpered, trying to back away. Suddenly, both Cybermen were shot from behind. They fell to the floor to reveal Pete standing behind them, Mickey's gun in his hands, and Rose, Mickey and the Time Lords standing behind him. Jackie squinted through the smoke at her deceased husband. "Pete?" she gasped in disbelief.
"Hello, Jacks." Pete replied.
"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why him?"
"I'm not a ghost." Pete told her.
"But you're dead! You died 20 years ago, Pete."
"It's Pete from a different universe." the Doctor explained, "There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where..." He was suddenly cut off by the Artist clamping her hand over his mouth.
"I think we'd better just let them work it out for themselves." she told him.
Jackie continued to gaze at Pete. "Oh... you look old."
"You don't." Pete replied.
"How can you be standing there?"
"Just got lucky... lived my life. You were left on ya own. You didn't marry again, or...?"
"There was never anyone else." Jackie said quietly, "20 years, though. Look at me, I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself."
"You brought her up." Pete said, gesturing to Rose, "Rose Tyler. That's not bad."
"Yeah."
"In my world, it worked. All those daft little plans of mine, they worked. Made me rich."
"I don't care about that." Jackie said, but she was curious. "How rich?"
"Very."
"I don't care about that. How very?" Pete just laughed. Rose rolled her eyes, while the Time Lords smiled fondly.
"Thing is though, Jax..." Pete began, "Ya not my wife. Sorry, but ya not. I mean, we both... Ya know, it's just sort of..." But he couldn't fight it any further. "Oh, come 'ere." He dropped his gun and he and Jackie ran to meet each other. Pete swept her off the ground in a huge hug, Rose watching them with tears of joy in her eyes.
———————————————————————————
The Daleks burst into the hangar to find rows of Cybermen waiting for them. "Exterminate!" Dalek Sec ordered.
"Delete!" the Cybermen chanted.
The hangar erupted into a warzone, with both parties firing at each other, their cries of 'Exterminate!' and 'Delete!' filling the air. Torchwood soldiers and Jake's troops joined the fray too, firing at both the Cybermen and Daleks. The Daleks carried on regardless, escorting the Genesis Ark.
"Emergency, all units will converge on the Torchwood Tower." the new Cyber-Leader ordered, "Repeat, all Cybermen to Torchwood."
The Doctor opened the door to see the battle raging. He was about to dart into the room when the Artist stopped him. "I'll do it." she told him, and judging her moment, she dived into the room, crawling on her stomach to avoid the laser blasts. She reached the crate where the magnaclamps were kept and picked up two of them. Then she scrambled back to join the others at the door.
Once the Artist was safely out of harm's way, the Doctor slipped on his 3D glasses and poked his head out of the door to see what the Daleks were up to. "Override roof mechanism." Dalek Sec ordered, and the hangar roof began to slowly open.
"Elevate." Dalek Jast announced, and the Ark began to levitate upwards.
"What're they doing?" Rose wandered, "Why'd they need to get outside?"
"Time Lord science... what Time Lord science?" the Doctor frowned, pulling his 3D specs off, "What is it?" They all watched as the Daleks escorted the Ark into the open air outside, then the Doctor pulled his head in. "We've gotta see what it's doing." he said as he led the way down the corridor, "We've gotta go back up. C'mon! All of you, top floor!"
"That's 45 floors up!" Jackie protested, "Believe me, I've done 'em all!"
They sped past a pair of lift doors, which promptly opened and Jake poked his head out. "We could always take the lift." he called.
———————————————————————————
Outside, the Genesis Ark hovered in mid air, flanked by the Cult of Skaro. "The Genesis Ark will open." Dalek Sec announced, and the Ark opened slowly to reveal a fifth Dalek inside it, then it began to revolve.
———————————————————————————
The Time Lords and humans stepped out of the lift onto the top floor of the Torchwood Tower and rushed towards the window in Yvonne's office. As they watched the Genesis Ark spin, Daleks began to shoot out of it, more and more of them. "Time Lord science." the Doctor breathed grimly as realisation sunk in, "It's bigger on the inside."
"Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there? What for?" Mickey asked.
"It's a prison ship!" the Artist gasped in horror.
"How many Daleks?" Rose asked fearfully, dreading the answer.
"Millions." the Time Lords said together, watching in horror as the army of Daleks spread out in formation over London.
———————————————————————————
The Cybermen marched down a street. They stopped as one and fired their arm weapons into the air at the Daleks, having no affect whatsoever.
"Exterminate all life forms below." Dalek Sec ordered it's army, "Exterminate!"
And the Daleks promptly opened fire on everything on the streets below, Cybermen and terrified humans alike, picking them all off with ease.
———————————————————————————
Pete decided he'd seen enough and turned away from the window. "I'm sorry, but you've had it." he said, "This world's gonna crash and burn. There's nothing we can do." He took a dimension jump from one of his troops. "We're going home. Jax, take this." He tossed the dimension jump to Jackie. "You're coming with us."
"But they're destroying the city!" Jackie protested.
"I'd forgotten you could argue." Pete said affectionately, looping the dimension jump around her. "It's not just London, it's the whole world." he told her seriously, taking her face in his hands, "But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jax. And it's safe. As long as the Doctor closes the breach." He looked to the two Time Lords, who were both still looking out of the window. "Doctor? Artist?"
As one, the Doctor and the Artist spun round, the Doctor wearing his 3D glasses and the Artist her sunglasses. "Oh, we're ready." the Doctor said gleefully, "We've got the equipment right here. Thank you Torchwood!" the Artist removed her sunglasses and began typing into a computer while the Doctor dashed to the wall with the breach. "Slam it down and close off both universes." he continued.
"Reboot systems." the computer announced.
"But we can't just leave." Rose said, "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"
"They're part of the problem." the Doctor replied, looking as though he had acquired a new lease of life, "And that makes 'em part of the solution. Oh yes!" The humans just looked at him, confused. "Well? Isn't anyone gonna ask? What is it with the glasses?" the Doctor prompted.
"What is it with the glasses?" a grinning Rose asked.
"We can see! That's what!" the Doctor answered ecstatically, "Cos' we've got two separate worlds, but in-between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!" He pulled off his 3D glasses and gave them to Rose. "I've been through it. D'ya see?"
Rose looked through the glasses to see green and red particles floating around the Doctor. "What is it?" she asked, reaching out to try and touch the particles.
"Void stuff." the Doctor replied.
"Basically, it's a form of background radiation." the Artist added from where she was working on the computer.
"Look at the others." the Doctor instructed Rose, who turned to see that the Artist, Mickey, Jake and Pete all had the 'Void stuff' around them too. "The only person who hasn't been through the Void, your mother." the Doctor said, pointing to Jackie, who was clean of 'Void stuff'. "First time she's looked normal in all her life."
"Oi!" Jackie huffed indignantly.
The Doctor raced back to the wall with the breach, Rose following him. "The Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it." the Doctor continued, "Cybermen, all of 'em. We just open the Void and reverse it. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."
"Pulling 'em all in!" Rose cheered enthusiastically.
"Pulling 'em all in!" the Doctor confirmed.
"Sorry... what's... what's the Void?" Mickey asked.
"The dead space between each universe." the Artist told him, "Basically, Hell."
"So... you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell." Mickey noted, looping his dimension jump around his neck. "Man, I told ya they were good." he said to Jake.
Rose suddenly realised something; "But it's... like you said, we've all got Void stuff. Me too, cos' we went to that parallel world." She looked down at her hand to see the same particles floating around it. She pulled the glasses off and looked up at the Time Lords, who both came over to her. "We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."
"That's why you've all got to go." the Artist told her.
"Reboot in two minutes." the computer announced.
Rose stared at the Time Lords, uncomprehending. "Back to Pete's World." the Doctor clarified, then turned to Pete. "Hey, we should call it that: Pete's World." He turned back to Rose, his tone becoming serious again; "We're opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."
"And then you close it. For good?" Pete asked.
"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff, in the end it'll close itself." the Doctor told him, "And that's it. Kaput."
Rose was just starting to realise what this meant. "But you both stay on this side...?"
"But you'll both be pulled in." Mickey pointed out.
"That's why I nabbed these." the Artist told him, picking up one of the magnaclamps from where she'd put them down on Yvonne's desk. "We'll stick 'em to the wall and hold on till it's over."
"I'm supposed to go." Rose said, looking like she'd been slapped in the face.
"Yeah." the Doctor replied.
"To another world, and then it gets sealed off."
"Yeah." the Doctor said, and went over to one of the computers.
"Forever. That's not gonna happen." Rose said stubbornly.
"Rose, you've got to." the Artist told her, "It's too dangerous here. We don't want you trapped with five million Cybermen and Daleks."
Just then, the building shuddered from an explosion from the battle outside. "She's right. We haven't got time to argue." Pete said briskly, "The plan works, we're going. You too. All of us."
"I'm not leaving 'em!" Rose insisted.
"And I'm not going without her!" Jackie added.
"Oh, my god. We're going!" Pete snapped.
"I've had 20 years without you, so button it!" Jackie snapped back, "I'm not leaving her!"
"You've got to." Rose told her.
"Well that's tough!" Jackie retorted.
"Reboot in one minute." the computer cut through the arguing.
"Mum, I've had a life with you for 19 years." Rose told Jackie gently, "But I'm a grown woman now, and I can make my own choices. I've seen all the things the Doctor and the Artist do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there. They do it alone, Mum." Behind her, the Doctor silently took a dimension jump out of his pocket and began to walk towards Rose. "I can't just leave 'em, Mum." Rose continued, oblivious to this. "After everything they'd done for us, I've gotta stay and help 'em." The Doctor looped the dimension jump around Rose's neck. "What're you..." she began, but she was cut off by Pete activating the dimension jumps and the humans all disappeared.
The Doctor and the Artist were left by themselves, both looking at the spot where Rose had been standing with heavy hearts. Neither of them had wanted to send Rose, or indeed Jackie and Mickey away, but they knew they had to do it for the humans' own good.
———————————————————————————
Rose found herself in the parallel Torchwood. "Oh no ya don't!" she muttered, "They're not doing that to me again." She pressed down on the yellow button." I think this is the on switch..." She looked up to find herself back in her universe's Torchwood with the Time Lords both staring at her.
———————————————————————————
Pete snatched Jackie's dimension jump away before she could press it. "But I've gotta go back!" she protested.
"The Doctor said every time we use one of these, it damages the world." Pete told her forcefully, "Now that's it!"
"She's your daughter!" Jackie snapped.
"She's your daughter, not mine!" Pete snapped back and walked away, snatching Mickey's dimension jump off him as he passed.
"Mickey, tell him!" Jackie pleaded desperately, "Tell him, Mickey! Mickey!"
Mickey didn't respond.
———————————————————————————
The Doctor and the Artist were both livid. They loved Rose as a friend, but her recklessness was very irritating at times like this. This was the second time they'd sent Rose away to keep her safe and she'd irresponsibly come back, putting herself in danger. The Doctor grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, trying to shake some sense into her. "Once the breach closes it, that's it!" he told her her angrily, "You'll never be able to see her again. Ya own mother!"
"I'm a grown woman, I can make my own choices." Rose answered back, "And I'm never gonna leave ya, both of ya." The Doctor released his grip. "So what can I do to help?"
"Systems rebooted." the computer announced, "Open access."
Rose stubbornly held the Doctor's gaze and he finally gave in. "You can help Artist with those co-ordinates over there." he said, pointing to where the Artist was working at a computer again, "We need to set 'em at six." Rose began to walk over to join the Time Lady. "And hurry up!" the Doctor shouted after her angrily.
"Why are you so incapable of doing as you're told, Rose?" the Artist asked the blonde, shaking her head in disappointment.
"I didn't wanna leave ya!" Rose defended.
———————————————————————————
"Get away from me!" Jackie screeched as she pushed Pete away and then broke down in tears.
———————————————————————————
"Doctor, we've got Cybermen coming our way." the Artist warned, her monitor showing Cybermen marching up the stairwell.
"How many floors down?" the Doctor asked.
"Just one." the Artist replied grimly.
"We will retreat through the breach." a Cyberman said over the video feed, "Regain the home world."
Their way was suddenly blocked by another Cyberman. "You will not pass." it stated. The Artist recognised it's voice as Yvonne Hartman's. Clearly she'd managed to fight reprogramming during her conversion and retained her personality.
"What is the meaning of this?" a Cyberman demanded.
"You will not pass." Cyber-Yvonne repeated, and fired her gun at the other Cybermen, destroying them. "I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country." she chanted, a single black oily tear leaking out from her helmet.
"Bless you, Yvonne." the Artist murmured quietly, before inputting the final key commands into her computer.
"Levers operational." the computer stated, making the Doctor grin.
"That's more like it!" Rose cheered, "The old team."
"The Three Musketeers, the Bee Gees, Gordon, James and Henry." the Doctor rattled off, picking up a magnaclamp.
"Which of us is who?" Rose asked as the Doctor passed her the clamp.
"Oh, he's Gordon!" the Artist laughed, "Good-hearted, but thinks he's more important than he actually is." She slapped the Doctor's shoulder playfully.
The Doctor grabbed the other magnaclamp and he and Rose attached them to the walls either side of the levers. "Press the red button." the Doctor instructed and Rose complied.
———————————————————————————
Outside, Dalek Sec realised something. "Breach active. It is the Time Lords! Exterminate them!" it ordered, and four bronze Daleks swooped towards Torchwood Tower.
———————————————————————————
"When it starts, just hold on tight." the Doctor told Rose, "Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks an' Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Artist, you share my clamp." the Artist nodded and grabbed hold of the Doctor's magnaclamp. "Everyone ready?" the Doctor asked, he and Rose getting into position beside the levers.
"So are they." Rose said, seeing the four Daleks flying towards the window.
"Let's do it!" the Doctor crowed, and he and Rose pushed the levers upwards then hurriedly took hold of the maganaclamps.
"Online." the computer announced, and the room was filled with white light while a fierce wind picked up.
The Daleks were sucked through the window, smashing through the glass as they were pulled into the white light and back into the Void. Rose and the Time Lords held onto the magnaclamps for dear life, the Doctor using his body to shield the Artist from the worst of the wind. "The breach is open!" he shouted over the noise, "Into the Void! Ha!"
A stream of Cybermen and Daleks came zooming past the trio, all screaming as they hurtled into the Void.
———————————————————————————
Outside, Dalek Sec realised what was happening. "Emergency temporal shift!" it cried and teleported away, the other three members of the Cult of Skaro doing the same. The Genesis Ark was sucked away towards Torchwood Tower.
———————————————————————————
Rose smiled across at the Doctor and the Artist as they watched the scene unfold. Suddenly, one Dalek clipped Rose's lever, causing it to spark and slide back into the off position. "Offline." the computer announced as the suction started to ease.
"Hold on!" the Doctor yelled as Rose reached for the lever while trying to maintain her grip on the clamp, but she wasn't tall enough to reach it and had to let of the clamp.
"I've gotta get it upright!" Rose grunted as she struggled to push the lever back into place. The Doctor and the Artist could only watch helplessly. At last, Rose managed to get the lever upright again.
"Online and locked." the computer announced as the suction increased again. But now, Rose only had the lever to hold on to.
"ROSE, JUST HOLD ON A LITTLE LONGER!" the Artist yelled to her as the last of the Cybermen and Daleks disappeared into the Void.
"HOLD ON!" the Doctor screamed, seeing that Rose was struggling to maintain her grip on the lever.
Rose winced and cried out as the vicious wind pulled at her, trying to pull her into the Void. But her strength was almost spent, the wind was too strong and her hands were slippery. With one last cry, Rose lost her grip and was pulled inexorably towards the Void.
"ROSE!" both Time Lords screamed helplessly as they watched their friend being pulled towards oblivion.
Suddenly, Pete appeared at the moment before Rose reached the breach and she fell into his arms. Rose had only time to glance over her shoulder at the Time Lords before Pete activated his dimension jump and they both vanished.
Mere seconds later, the breach finally sealed itself and the wind died down, leaving an eerie silence in the room. The Doctor and the Artist both flopped to the floor, breathing heavily in shock.
"Systems closed." the computer announced, as if to taunt them.
———————————————————————————
In the parallel Torchwood, Rose hammered on the wall. "Take me back!" she shrieked hysterically, "Take me back!" She broke down in raw tears, slamming her fists against the wall as if their was nothing else.
Pete removed his dimension jump and looked at it. "It's stopped working." he murmured, "They did it. They closed the breach."
"No..." Rose sobbed, her hands pressed against the wall.
———————————————————————————
The Time Lords walked slowly up to the wall on their side. the Artist slumped forward against it and broke down in tears. A solemn Doctor pulled her into his arms and she sobbed into his chest while he fought back his own tears. "I'm sorry." he whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair, "I'm so sorry." He knew that this was all his fault. If it wasn't for his arrogance, none of this would've happened.
———————————————————————————
Rose leaned against the wall, wiping the tears from her eyes. She realised that if she hadn't have been so immature and uncaring when they'd met Queen Victoria in Scotland, then there wouldn't have been a Torchwood to cause all this. Pete, Jackie and Mickey all watched her uncomfortably, at a loss for words. At last, Rose turned away, her face stained with tears.
———————————————————————————
When the Artist had exhausted all of her tears, she and the Doctor began the long, slow walk back to the TARDIS, both Time Lords looking completely empty.
———————————————————————————
Rose had been stuck in Pete's World for three months when she heard the Doctor's voice calling to her one night; "Rose?"
Then, she heard the Artist's voice too; "Rose, it's us."
Rose told Jackie, Mickey and Pete all about the voices. Anyone else would've thought that Rose was mad, but not those three. They believed her, because they'd met the Time Lords and knew it was possible. And so that night, they packed up, got into Pete's jeep and off they went. Just like Rose's dream said, they followed the voices across the water, driving for hundreds of miles until they ended up on a bleak, deserted beach in Norway.
Pete, Jackie and Mickey stood by the jeep while Rose walked across the sand. She came to a halt in the middle of the beach, where the Doctor and the Artist were standing, both looking slightly translucent. "Where are you?" Rose asked them.
"Inside the TARDIS." the Doctor replied, his voice sounding distant, "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send these projections, we're in orbit around a supernova." He laughed softly. "We're burning up a sun just to say goodbye."
"You look like ghosts." Rose said.
"Hang on, two ticks." the Artist replied, taking out her sonic and aiming it at something at her left, which Rose guessed was the TARDIS console. The Time Lords' projections strengthened, making them look as if they were actually there. "Better?" the Artist asked.
Rose nodded and stepped forward towards them. "Can I...?" she asked, reaching a hand out.
"No, we're still just images." the Artist told her sadly, "You can't touch us."
"Can't ya come through properly?" Rose asked, her voice trembling.
"The whole thing would fracture." the Doctor told her regretfully, "Two universes would collapse."
"So?" Rose joked, trying to keep it light, but her eyes betrayed her deep sadness.
"Where are we?" the Doctor asked, looking around at their surroundings, "Where did the gap come out?"
"We're in Norway." Rose replied.
"Oh, sorry, Rose." the Artist said, "We dragged you out all this way."
"S'alright." Rose reassured her, managing a smile at her friend, "We're about 50 miles out of Bergen. It's called 'Dalig Ulv Stranden'."
"Dalek?" both Time Lords frowned.
"Darl-ig." Rose corrected, "It's Norwegian for bad, this translates as 'Bad Wolf Bay'." They laughed at the irony of that, but all sobered up almost immediately. "How long have we got?" Rose asked, her voice cracking.
"About two minutes." the Doctor replied.
"I can't think of what to say!" Rose laughed at the absurdity of that fact.
"At least you've still got your family." the Artist placated her, glancing over to where Jackie, Pete and Mickey were standing.
"There's five of us now." Rose told her, "Mum, Dad, Mickey... and the baby."
"Is Jackie...?"
"Yep." Rose nodded, "She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."
"And what about you?" the Doctor asked, "You're...?"
"Yeah, I'm... I'm back working in the shop."
"Oh, good for you." the Doctor nodded.
"Shut up!" Rose laughed, "Nah, I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens."
"Well, they're in good hands." the Artist smiled proudly, "Rose Tyler: defender of the Earth."
"You're dead, officially, back home." the Doctor sighed, "So many people died that day and you've gone missing. Ya on a list of the dead. Yet here ya are. Living a life day after day. The one adventure we can never have."
Rose sobbed in earnest. "Am I ever gonna see ya both again?"
"Ya can't." the Doctor said quietly.
"What're ya gonna do?"
"Oh, we've got the TARDIS, and each other. The same old life." the Doctor replied, "The last of the Time Lords."
"Together." the Artist added, she and the Doctor taking each other's hands.
Rose surveyed them, her tears falling thick and fast. "I miss you both." she wailed, "Ya my best friends. I miss ya both, so much."
"Us too." the Artist replied, her voice trembling and tears forming in her eyes.
The Doctor swallowed hard, fighting back his own tears. "Before we go, there's something I'd like to say on behalf of Artist and myself." He steeled himself, ready. "Rose Tyler..."
But their time was up. The Doctor and the Artist both faded away into nothingness. Rose was left alone. She screwed her face up against the pain, sobbing into her hands as her two best friends faded from her life forever.
————————————————————————————
In the TARDIS, the Doctor and the Artist both just stared at the wall for a moment, then they both broke down crying in each other's arms.
The Doctor had been about to thank Rose for everything that she'd done for them over the last two years. She'd helped them heal from the Time War and helped them realise their feelings for each other, but alas, he'd been cut off and now he would never get the chance to tell Rose that.
For them, it had only been two days since the battle of Canary Wharf. The TARDIS now seemed so quiet and empty. Never again would they hear Rose joking loudly in the face of danger or talking about her favourite soap operas and reality TV.
The silence was almost unbearable.
————————————————————————————
Rose turned back to her family, weeping inconsolably. Jackie, her motherly instincts kicking in, ran across the beach to embrace her daughter. Rose buried her head in her mother's shoulder, utterly wretched.
————————————————————————————
The Doctor rubbed his hands over his eyes, wiping his tears away. He looked at the Artist to see her pretty face streaked with tears and her brown eyes red-stained. He pressed a small kiss into her hair and turned to the console, shutting the projector off while the Artist sat down miserably on the jump seat.
Suddenly, the Doctor got the feeling that they were no longer alone and looked up to see a woman in a wedding dress standing by the doors with her back to them. "What?" the Doctor blinked in surprise, attracting both the Artist's and the woman's attention.
The bride turned round to reveal that she was a ginger-haired woman in her late thirties. "Who're you?" she gaped in surprise.
"What?" was all a dumbfounded Doctor could say.
"Where am I?" the confused bride asked.
"What?"
"What the hell is this place?!" the bride demanded, getting angry now.
"What?!" the Doctor repeated one last time.